painting memories
by starlight.moon.princess
Summary: Art is one of the two abilities in Dean's life that he's really proud of, and it's the only thing that lets him feel close to Seamus when he's on the run. ::DeanSeamus, freeverse::


**i.**

there are two abilities in dean's life

that he's truly proud of

his talent in football

and in art

if it weren't for those

he knows he'd be the weird kid in school

(after all

odd things _always_ seem to happen around him

don't they?)

it all makes sense on his eleventh birthday

a _wizard_?

magic _really_ exists?

(his mother and he exchange knowing looks

is _this_ who his biological father was?

is _this_ the reason he left?)

**ii.**

don't get him wrong

he loves hogwarts

he _does_

but one of the first thing he realises

is that in this new magical world of his

(and he still can't believe

that _this_ is his world now

spinning with possibilities

and a life that he hadn't known existed

but on where he actually _belongs_)

football doesn't matter

(quidditch is more important)

his art is all he has left

so he takes to it with a vengeance

if he can't become a professional footballer

in this new world

then he'll damn make sure

to become the best damn wizarding artist

there ever is

**iii.**

it's his art that helps him make

his first (and best) friend in the world of magic

(he's not surprised

his art always _was_ one of the best things

about him)

the first time seamus sees him drawing

sketching away furiously

trying to capture every aspect of the castle

he sits down beside dean

staring at his sketchbook intently

entranced with the life

that this boy can create

from paper and

a stick of charcoal

and when the dark-skinned boy's done

he grins at him,

holds out his hand

and tells him that the two of them?

they're going to be the best of friends

from that day

it becomes a little tradition of theirs

whenever dean's sketching

seamus is _always_ by his side

**iv.**

his years in hogwarts

seem to pass him so quickly

_**snap**_

and he's a seventh year already

sure, the last few years

have had their share of

ups and downs

(not to mention

that pesky little war

that's been on

since the end of his fourth year

and those dead bodies

that just seem to keep piling up)

but even with all that

dean loves hogwarts

and this (still so new) magical world

and then

the letter comes

"dear mr thomas…

muggle-born registration act…

hearing…"

he knows exactly what this means

well

voldemort may have taken over the ministry

but he wasn't going to get

a hold of dean

so easily

so he pens a letter to seamus

explaining everything

and promises to return when he can

he finally tells his mother the truth

about the war

tells her he loves her

kisses his sisters goodbye

packs his bags

and leaves

(they won't find his family

through him)

**v.**

on the run

he meets a bunch of new people

ted tonks

(his daughter just married professor lupin)

dirk creswell

(muggle born, used to be important at the ministry)

griphook

(a goblin who knows harry)

but through it all

the only people on his mind

are his family

and seamus

everything he's brought with him

reminds him of his family

but seamus

he needs a way to keep a hold

of Seamus

so when he finds a sketchbook

and a couple of pencils

buried deep inside his bag

he knows exactly what he's going to do.

he _**draws**_

not seamus

there's no chance dean can forget him

he draws everything

(he does mean _everything_)

he sees

sure, it's a piece of war history

that might inspire people one day

but more than that

to him

it's a new

(and the only)

way

he has

to stay close to seamus

(and it's not like

being on the run

doesn't have silver linings

it forces him to re-examine his feelings for seamus

and admit

that he cares about the sandy-haired boy

as _**much more**_

than just a friend

and at least he can promise himself,

now that he knows how fragile life is,

that the next time he sees seamus

he'll tell him)

**vi.**

he's at the weasleys' aunt's house

when his galleon burns

at least the time for waiting

for being on the run

is over

when he finally

(finally)

gets back to the castle

that is his second home

(or is it third?

seamus' home counts too)

he's shocked by the transformation

that these people he knows so well

have undergone

but through it all

seamus is still the boy he remembers

still the boy he fell in love with

so even though he's scared to death

(courage is not the absence of fear

it's fearing

and doing it anyways)

dean throws caution to the wind

walks up to him

and kisses him

(and

seamus

kisses

back)

**vii.**

yeah

that's what he's learned

in these last seven years

everything

has a silver lining

even running for your life

* * *

_For:_

_Fanfiction Tournaments, April_

_The if You Dare Challenge, Prompt 524. Silver Light_

_Magical Creatures Challenge, Porlock_


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